Burner heat distributor



March 7, 1967 HI OMPSO 3,307,531

BURNER HEAT DISTRIBUTOR Filed June 11, 1965 INVENTOR.

621 55 A/Wm BY fi m/infra United States, Patent 3,307,531 BURNER HEATDISTRIBUTOR Clyde H. Thompson, 1127 E. th St., Casper. Wyo. 82601 FiledJune 11, 1965, Ser. No. 463,107 3 Claims. (Cl. 126-215) being adjustablefor use with stove burners of differing diameters, has an imperforatecooking vessel supporting surface, which prevents boiled-over food orother material from a cooking vessel from falling directly upon theburner, whereby the burner is kept clean, and otherwise needed cleaningoperations are reduced to a minimum.

A further object of the invention is the provision, in a device of thecharacter indicated above, of a pendant peripheral rim of the plate,which prevents the travel, inwardly toward the burner, of boiled-overmaterial falling upon the device, the said rim having a reduced crosssection lower edge which serves to drip the material, from the rim ontoa confined area of the stove surrounding the burner.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a device of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the lines 33 ofFIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged perspective view of an adjustable foot of thedevice.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the illustrated device comprises aflat imperforate circular plate 10, of suitable heat conductivematerial, such as iron or aluminum alloy, having a fiat upper surface12, and a flat undersurface 14, parallel to the upper surface 12. Thediameter of the plate 10 is greater than the diameter of and stoveburner with which the device is to be used.

At its peripheral edge 16, which is normal to the plane of the plate 10,the plate is downwardly enlarged in cross section, to provide a pendantrim 18. The rim 18 is of downwardly tapering cross section andterminated in a sharp lower edge 20, the inner side of the rim 18 beingconcavely and downwardly curved, as indicated at 22, to the peripheraledge 16, to define the sharp lower edge 20.

The plate 10 of the said device is adapted to be supported, invertically spaced relationship to the top of a stove burner, by means ofequally circumferentially spaced feet 24, secured to the underside ofthe plate 10, the feet 24 being adapted to rest, either upon the top ofthe stove surrounding the burner, or upon the upper surface of a burnerwell, depressed in the top of the stove. In order that the device may beused conveniently with burner and burner wells of differing diam- "iceeters, the feet 24 are made radially adjustable, relative to the plate10.

The illustrated feet 24, as shown in detail in FIGURE 4, preferably ofone-piece construction, are of reclining L-shape, and comprisehorizontally elongated arms 26, of downwardly opening channel shape, andrelatively short pendant vertical legs 28, on the outer ends of the arms26, the latter having squared flat lower ends 30, adapted to rest upon astove top or upon the upper surface of a burner well.

The arms 26 have webs 32, having flat upper surfaces 34, adapted to bearagainst the flat undersurface 14 of the plate 10, inwardly of the platerim 18, and pendant longitudinal flanges 36 extending along the sideedges of the web 32. Centered longitudinal closed slots 38 are formed inthe webs 32, to pass clamping screws 40.

The screws 40 have enlarged bevelled heads 42, which are rotatablyseated in accommodating recesses 44, formed in the plate 10, flush withthe upper surface of the plate, the heads 42 being formed with exposedscrewdriver slots 46. Nuts 48 are provided on the screws 40, to beturned up against the undersurfaces of the webs 32 of the arms 26, forclamping the feet 24, in various radially adjusted positions, relativeto the periphery of the plate 10, to accommodate stove burners ofdifferent diameters. The nuts 48 are non-rotatably confined between theflanges 36 of the arms 26.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the legs 28 of the feet 24 are long enough toreach downwardly below the rim 18 of the plate 10, to support the plate10 in upwardly spaced relationship to a stove surface S upon which thedevice is placed, in order that air may circulate freely to the burner,and across the undersurface 14 of the plate 10, so as to assure moreeven heating of the plate and of the cooking vessel resting thereon.

Any fluid material resulting from a cooking operation, involving thedevice of the invention, and flowing onto the plate 10, to itsperiphery, is prevented by the rim 18, from flowing beneath the plate10, and onto the burner, and this material is caused to flow down aroundthe rim 18, and drip from its sharp lower edge 20, so as to be depositedonto a stove surface in a narrow circular area thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a circular flat platehaving a peripheral edge, feet secured to the underside of the plateinwardly of said peripheral edge and reaching downwardly below theplate, said plate being imperforate, said feet comprising relativelylong horizontal arms bearing against the undersurface of the plate andrelatively short downwardly extending legs on the arms, said arms beingformed with longitudinal slots, screws engaged in the plate andextending downwardly through the slots, and nuts on the lower ends ofthe screws engaged beneath said arms.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a circular fiat platehaving a peripheral edge, feet secured to the underside of the plateinwardly of said peripheral edge and reaching downwardly below theplate, said plate being imperforate, said feet comprising horizontalarms bearing against the undersurface of the plate, said arms beingformed with longitudinal slots, screws engaged in the plate andextending downwardly through the slots, and nuts on the lower ends ofthe screws, said arms having pendant parallel spaced flanges betweenwhich said nuts are engaged.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a circular flat platehaving a peripheral edge, feet secured to the underside of the plateinwardly of said peripheral edge and reaching downwardly below theplate, said plate being imperforate, said feet comprising horizontalarms bearing against the undersurface of the plate, said arms beingformed with longitudinal slots, screws engaged in the plate andextending downwardly through the slots, and nuts on the lower ends ofthe screws and pendant legs on the arms, said arms having Webs formedwith said s10ts,'and pendant flanges along the side edges of the webs,said nuts being non-rotatably engaged between the flanges.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 DONLEY J.STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Examiner. E. G. FAVORS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, COMPRISING A CIRCULAR FLAT PLATEHAVING A PERIPHERAL EDGE, FEET SECURED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE PLATEINWARDLY OF SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE AND REACHING DOWNWARDLY BELOW THEPLATE, SAID PLATE BEING IMPERFORATE, SAID FEET COMPRISING RELATIVELYLONG HORIZONTAL ARMS BEARING AGAINST THE UNDERSURFACE OF THE PLATE ANDRELATIVELY SHORT DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING LEGS ON THE ARMS, SAID ARMS BEINGFORMED WITH LONGITUDINAL SLOTS, SCREWS ENGAGED IN THE PLATE ANDEXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE SLOTS, AND NUTS ON THE LOWER ENDS OFTHE SCREWS ENGAGED BENEATH SAID ARMS.